Generator Safety

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We are getting snow today, but spring thunderstorms are right around the corner.  If your power lines are above ground like mine are, storms mean the power outages.

A lot of people in our neighborhood have generators to help deal with the inconvenience of power outages.  While having a generator is wonderful to make sure you don’t loose a freezer full of food, or so you can keep the fans running on these 90+ degree days, you have to be safe while using them.

We got our generator just before Hurricane Sandy in 2012.  We can run our freezer, the sump pump, and a few other lower energy items on it.  Ideally, we would get an automatic generator that runs off of natural gas and kicks over on its own when the power goes out.  However, something of that nature would cost us more than $5,000 to install.  So until such a time that we can afford the big generator, we use the small gasoline powered one when the power is out for an extended period of time.

When the power is out, people get desperate, and in desperate times common sense goes right out the window.  Don’t make a fatal mistake by being unprepared.  Have a plan on where and how you will use your generator when the power goes out.

For example, most people would not think about having the generator in the house because of the fumes.  However, did you know that it is equally dangerous to have a generator on an enclosed porch or an attached garage?  Carbon Monoxide is a very real threat when running a generator in an enclosed area.

For more tips on generator safety, check out this article from the American Red Cross.  If you own a generator, or are thinking about getting one to help out during this summer storm season, please check out the article and be safe.